Air India Crash Investigation: 'Will Follow Facts, Not Speculation,' Says Aviation Minister Naidu

The government on Monday said that the investigation into the Air India Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad is following international protocols and facts, urging against speculation until the final report is complete.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is conducting the probe in a transparent and unbiased manner. “I have seen multiple articles not only by the Indian media but also by the Western media trying to promote their own viewpoint,” he said in a parliamentary response at Rajya Sabha. “The way we are seeing the investigation is through facts. We want to stand by the truth. And that will only be revealed when the investigation is complete.”

The preliminary report indicates damage to the black box, which is being decoded for the first time in India involving subject matter experts.

"Whenever there has been even a slight damage, we have sent the black box abroad to the original equipment manufacturer and gotten it decoded from the state of that manufacturer only. But it was the first time that India took a stand to handle this case domestically," said Naidu.

The government would take corrective action only after the investigation concludes, he added. "We have to look at the final report to ascertain what led to this incident and how; only then can we take corrective measures."

The comments come after a Wall Street Journal report last week said that cockpit voice recordings suggest the captain may have turned off fuel switches to both engines. The report cited people familiar with the matter and goes beyond the AAIB’s preliminary findings released earlier.

The AAIB report confirmed both fuel control switches moved from ‘RUN’ to ‘CUTOFF’ seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12, causing both engines to lose thrust. The cockpit voice recorder captured one pilot asking, “Why did you cut off?” with the other replying, “I didn’t.” The AAIB did not identify which pilot made the statements and said neither acknowledged moving the switches.

In the aftermath of the AAIB's initial report, domestic airlines operating Boeing jets were ordered to conduct checks on switches that regulate fuel supply to the engine.

Naidu added that all the fuel switches, cockpit systems, and tyres are being checked "very robustly and regularly." "We already have a very tough and thorough checking process in place. The checks are not done only when there’s a directive—they happen routinely as per protocol," he said.

Following the report, the head of the US National Transportation Safety Board said it is too early to conclude what caused the crash.

The Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787-8, crashed 32 seconds after takeoff, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 on the ground. The investigation is ongoing.